Teaching English and volunteering

Teaching English

The availability of jobs will depend largely on your location, with bigger cities and urban areas offering more opportunities.

While there is strong demand for native English speakers to help improve spoken fluency (as the French education system traditionally places more emphasis on grammar and written skills), having a recognised teaching qualification such as TEFL, TESOL or CELTA will significantly improve your prospects.

State schools in France will rarely hire non-EU citizens unless they are part of an official programme such as TAPIF (a government-run scheme placing language assistants in schools). For most people, private language schools – such as Linguarama or Wall Street English – are a more accessible route into teaching.

These roles are often paid hourly (typically around €15–€30 depending on experience and location) and may require you to register as self-employed (auto-entrepreneur) for tax purposes. Requirements vary depending on the employer and type of teaching.

Other institutions, such as Catholic or bilingual schools, may also hire native English speakers, though they often require formal teaching qualifications rather than language-teaching certificates alone.

Private tutoring is another common option, including conversation classes focused on pronunciation and fluency. As with other paid work, this generally requires registration as self-employed. Platforms such as Superprof, Preply, Italki, and local community groups can be useful for finding students.

Volunteering

France has a strong culture of volunteering, and this can be a useful way to improve your language skills, integrate locally and build a social network.

However, it is important to understand that unpaid work does not automatically fall outside immigration rules.

If you are in France on a long-stay visitor visa, you are not permitted to work. In some cases, even volunteering may be considered a form of work, particularly if it is structured or ongoing.

Unpaid volunteering may be allowed in certain circumstances, but this usually requires prior approval from your local prefecture. Activities must be genuinely voluntary, with no form of compensation (financial or otherwise), and clearly informal in nature.

Because interpretation of the rules can vary between prefectures, it is advisable to check before committing to any role.

Those with a work visa can generally undertake voluntary activities alongside their employment, provided this does not interfere with their main job. There is also a specific visa category for people coming to France to volunteer with recognised organisations.